This Savannah Sparrow posed nicely for me last week.  They’re fairly common across most of North America, but I don’t usually get so close to them with my camera.  They’re pretty skittish, and they usually fly away to hide in tall clumps of grass when a person approaches.  Even if the grass is only a few inches tall, a Savannah Sparrow can vanish the moment it reaches the ground.  More often than not, I find Savannah Sparrows by hearing their soft, buzzy song.

Savannah Sparrows nest in grassland habitats across the northern United States and most of Canada, all the way up to the Arctic northern limits of Canada and Alaska.  They’re most common here in the Susquehanna Valley during the nesting season in spring and summer.  During the winter they migrate to the southern United States, Mexico, and Cuba.  In fact, they’re named after the city Savannah in Georgia, where they are common in winter.  The Susquehanna Valley is right at the northern edge of their winter range.

Like other grassland sparrows, Savannah Sparrows like to eat small seeds, as well as some berries, insects, and spiders.  You can recognize a Savannah Sparrow by its almost white breast and belly, marked with boldly contrasting streaks, and by the hint of yellow behind its bill and above its eye.  Unless you have large grassy fields near your house, the Savannah Sparrow would be a very infrequent visitor to your yard.